Dales Riding – Nidderdale’ish

Afternoon all.

Are there any must-do routes around Nidderdale – Ramsgill, Pateley Bridge etc? Was up there at the weekend and realised I’d never ridden a bike in the area…

Yes.

Classic Ride 143 – Scar House Loop, Nidderdale

Nice place to ride. How stern gorge has a cool cafe too.

30 mile 5 dales from scar house.

It’s on my YouTube channel as the 4 dales because I set off from a different place when I filmed it.

Stephen Foster MTB

Jenny Twigg and Her Daughter Tibb.  Two weathered natural stone pillars on Fountains Earth Moor to the east of Lofthouse.  Not difficult riding on the tracks across the moor but it’s always worth going somewhere with a funny name.

Despite what the link says, it’s in the Dales not the North York Moors.

http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=20831

@DaveyBoyWonder that Scarhouse loop is the classic ride up that way, I’ve done it a few times over the years. It’s very XC but the descent to Scarhouse is kinda fun, as is the final downhill section into Ramsgill but all the gates can be a pain.

got a 50 miles death slog from Appletreewick, out to Scar house and back.

proper tough old day.

+1 for the Scar House loop being a good one.

Plenty to go at in that area, a few mentions of scar house and that end of the valley. The lead mines are another place worth incorporating into a ride and although I’ve never done it there are some good descents in guisecliffe woods I believe.

Where will you be based?

Good pork pies in Pateley Bridge too.

There’s a few variations of what you might call a “scarhouse reservoir loop” we did a brilliant version about 3 weeks ago adding in some fun bits:

https://strava.app.link/EGUm6etypMb

The STW classic ride version above misses some descents and climbs that are worth doing.

You can add some flatter miles to the route I did by starting at Pateley Bridge and going up/down Gouthwaite on the bridleway along the east shore as per the STW route above though.

Cheers all. I’ll look at the classic route…

got a 50 miles death slog from Appletreewick, out to Scar house and back.

Thanks for the offer Tony – you can keep that one :)

Plenty to go at in that area, a few mentions of scar house and that end of the valley. The lead mines are another place worth incorporating into a ride and although I’ve never done it there are some good descents in guisecliffe woods I believe.

Cool – I’ll take a look.

Pork pies – I discovered the excellent Wildlings cafe at the weekend but no pork pies were discovered. Need to look harder.

@snotrag – I’ll look at that!

Has anybody done the B/W from the 503 spot height on the Horsehouses road to Scar House? I did it a good few years ago and it was a trackless boggy push for most of the way. Just wondered if it had been improved recently as it could be a good link .

If you look up ‘Trailfinder’ on Youtube, his latest (new bike) video has a loop from Ramsgill with two extra descents that don’t figure on the standard ‘classic’ Scar House Loop. Probably best bang for buck during dryish weather.

@FOG still not worth it.

Yes, as well as the classic above you defo need to add the out and back from Horsehouse to your list. 3 decent climbs and 3 brilliant descents. All rocky BOATs, so as fast as you dare with plenty to pop off

https://explore.osmaps.com/route/20573810/Horsehouse-Scar-House-Reservoir

Aaand this one from Pateley. Stop off at Brimham Rocks cafe for a brew at the halfway point and marvel at the geology and the fact the area used to be a Norwegian river a few years back. Great little ride

https://explore.osmaps.com/route/20054479/MTB-Pateley-Bridge-Brimham-Blast

@martinhutch thats where we go our ride from in the strava link above – the ‘extra’ bits are great and defiitely worth doing.

That climb to Middlesmoor though….we used to stay at the Crown Hotel so it’s a shocking road climb after doing the rest of the loop.

but the descent to Scarhouse is kinda fun

I thought that descent to scar house res (moor lane from Middlesmoor) had been sanitised a few years ago. Of course, it might have been completely wrecked again, after a few floods.

Although I don’t live that far away (Leeds) it’s somewhere I never venture in the MTB.

Did the scar house loop many years ago and thought it was ‘ok’ – good if you like being out doing xc on the moors but nothing that technically interesting that I’d rush back for.

*Cough cough cough*

A few local very handy riders I follow on’t Strava do stuff through guisecliffe woods and also the copper mines to the west of pateley bridge. But I’ve never been.ao can’t comment from experience.

*Cough cough cough*

If one were so inclined, the resr loop around thruscross, down the Washburn and around fewston/swinsty also sees a fair bit of use. Don’t do it on a sunny weekend etc.

*Cough cough cough*

Don’t mind long XC type stuff – as happy doing that as I am radical enduro gnar.

I’ll look at the extended Scar House loop as that sounds a good one and also maybe check out the bits you’ve suggested @el_boufador whilst I’m in the area.

I thought that descent to scar house res (moor lane from Middlesmoor) had been sanitised a few years ago. Of course, it might have been completely wrecked again, after a few floods.

It’s still not back to where it was, enjoyable but not challenging. They’ve also been up and sanitised the rough(er) climb up from the back of Middlesmoor, which isn’t as rutty or interesting either.

It’s a solid XC ride.

Yeah shame about that sanitisation. We used to call that the baby head rock descent. You just went wherever the baby head rocks sent you haha. And then inevitably fixed the pinch flat at the bottom in the freezing rain and wind (pre tubeless).

We used to call that the baby head rock descent.

There was a descent just outside Halifax which was locally known as the same – Baby Head Alley. Was between two old stone walls with big round rocks inbetween them. Was just a case of hold on and pray :D

I like big Dales xc days but, for me, Nidderdale has always been somewhere I ride through to get somewhere else, not a destination in its own right.

Riding in that area broke the frame of my Bontrager ti.

Top or bottom butchers in Pateley? I always go top!